The 1.4 million people who depend on the Inner Niger Delta in Mali suffer increasingly from low water levels in the Niger River, which flows downstream into the delta. We are working to address the growing upstream water diversions for irrigation and hydropower, and help downstream communities adapt to sustain their livelihoods.

The Waterbird Population Estimates (WPE) online database provides current and historic estimates, trends and 1% thresholds for over 800 waterbird species and 2300 biogeographic populations worldwide. This project has been developed by Wetlands International with the support of Environment Canada and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Visit the Waterbird Population Estimates Database

The Ramsar Conference (6 - 13 July 2012 in Bucharest, Romania) offered an opportunity to strengthen and extend the reach of the Convention to achieve improved wetland conservation and management. We attended the conference with a team of experts from our global network and engaged Contracting Parties and partners to achieve these objectives.

We provide key tools and knowldge in the development and implementation of major government policies in the entire Niger River Basin, which stretches from Guinea Chonakry all the way to the Niger Delta in Nigeria. We use our experience in the Inner Niger Delta as the basis for his work.

The Inner Niger Delta is a lifeline for one and a half million people, whose flooding provide fish, fodder for their cattle and water for rice production. This inland delta is also home to millions of waterbirds, that migrate to this rich environment, as well as hippos and many other species. We work with communities and Malinese government to restore the flood forest, reduce the people's poverty and prevent the negative impacts of dams and climate change on the delta.

The overall objective of the WETwin is to enhance the role of wetlands in basin-scale integrated water resources management (IWRM), with the aim of improving the community service functions while conserving good ecological status. Full title: Enhancing the role of wetlands in integrated water resources management for twinned river basins in EU, Africa and South-America in support of EU Water Initiatives.

This programme focused on the mainstreaming of sustainable wetland management principles and practice into the development of poverty reduction strategies through local and international partnerships in DAC1 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It did so by enhancing of existing and supporting development of new policies at local, national and international levels, with specific inclusion of the water and health sectors and by ensuring due attention to the need for equitable development.

This project is a demonstration project of the Wetlands and Poverty Reduction Project that aims to contribute to poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation by putting in place a participatory and sustainable management process for local development in the Inner Niger Delta.

This project is setting up a dialogue on water, food and the environment in Mali with the aim of establishing or revitalising local fishery councils to provide better management of fish stocks and wetlands.

This project aims to address the environmental, social and economic consequences of expanding the dam capacity in the Upper Niger River Basin. It will update the existing impact assessment developed under a previous project with new information.

This project is being carried out through our Headquarters and Mali office, in partnership with Altenburg & Wybenga, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Institute for Environmental Studies.

Wetlands International investigated the availability and need for water in the inland 'Inner Niger Delta' in Mali and upstream. This resulted in an advice for a more optimal use of the precious water in this dry area and on the use of the current and proposed dams upstream for hydropower and irrigation.